The month of June

June will be interesting. I guarantee it.

Five Short Chapters on Change

Chapter 1
I walk down a street and there's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. It takes forever to get out. It's my fault.

Chapter 2
I walk down the same street. I fall in the hole again. It still takes a long time to get out. It's not my fault.

Chapter 3
I walk down the same street. I fall in the hole again. It's becoming a habit. It is my fault. I get out immediately.

Chapter 4
I walk down the same street and see the deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

Chapter 5
I walk down a different street.

Typical Arn Story

This place where I'm currently taking my week long training serves breakfast, lunch and merienda for free to their students. They used to order out from nearby restaurants but I guess due to budget constraints, they decided to get an in-house caterer.

Anyways, one morning they were serving pancakes and ham for breakfast. They gave me two pieces of pancakes and a slice of ham. I placed a chunk of butter on each and drowned them in syrup which was unusually...er... malabnaw. I started walking away when the server called my attention.

"Ser, patis ho yan."

Making My Vote Count

This week I voted and celebrated democracy...



... and I for once I was proud I had dirty fingernails. :P

The Shakeys Experience

Last night, Jaye and I hopped off work and went straight to Park Square where I was looking for some lens hoods for my camera (as advised by Pads). After walking and walking and walking… we couldn’t find it and decided to eat dinner. We dropped by Shakeys and there started one of our worst dining experiences ever. Sorry guys, you had this coming.

- It was hard to call the attention of waiters. It took them a while before they could even give the menus to us and we even had to seat ourselves. A waiter would walk by and I raise my hand like a geek in math class but I get ignored. Another waiter walks by and I’m ignored. Another waiter… you get the idea.

- They first served the drinks (which was the only thing they served on time). I took a sip and placed the glass down. Jaye took a sip, looked at me and we had that conversation with incomplete, incoherent sentences but made perfect sense to us: “Lasang…” “uhuh”, “Parang…” “uhuh”, “Ganun ba…” “yep”… The soda was stale. I called the waiter and asked to have it replaced. They problem is…

- They have rude waiters. Look, we ordered for bottomless sodas so we’re not stiffing you by pretending the sodas were stale. The waiter had that “arte nyo naman” look when he grabbed the half empty glass. I asked where the soda came from (because if it was from the fountain, I’ll switch to iced tea). In a very arrogant voice, he explained to me “EH KASI HO SODA HO YAN.”.

Riiiiiiiiiight. That explained EVERYTHING. The waiter left and Jaye and I were laughing our butts off.

It’s not like we ordered Bloody Maries. It’s just Coke! Did they get it from their supplier in powder form or something? How do you mess that up?

- The orders took a long time to arrive. We observed the place and it wasn’t because there were plenty of customers and there were only a few waiters… it was a problem with efficiency. It’s like they don’t know the meaning of multi-tasking.

- We ordered the Bunch of Lunch which looked more like the bunch of Meriendas or bunch of appetizers. Just before Jaye could finish her sentence describing the Shakeys of old, I was already done with my spaghetti, mojos, pizza slice and was halfway done with my chicken.

- Don’t get me started with how long it took for the soda refills to come. Sabagay... Soda nga naman diba? (still doesn't make sense)

- We finished our meals and asked for the bill. The waiter acknowledged, ran off and was never heard from again. Another waiter passed and I asked for our bill. Again we never heard from that waiter again. We looked around and there were only a handful of customers left. Is their service really that bad or is the phrase “check please” in addition to drawing a rectangle with your thumb and pointer finger actually a voodoo spell that disintegrates waiters?

The Shakeys in this generation is completely different from the Shakeys a few years ago. The bunch of lunch before was really a BUNCH of lunch. I thank the Lord that I was able to experience such a meal before. Hold on, let’s recap. Problems with the current generation? Check. Complains a lot? Check. Balky knees? Check. An overly appreciation of the Lord? Check. I’m definitely old.

I rate this restaurant, 3 stale mojo potatoes.

Nagawa mo ba to?

1. kumakain ka ba ng aratilis?
Tried but I hated it. Aratilis (for me) is still the best ammo for my slingshot. My neighbor made aratilis shake which was gross. ewww....

2. nagpipitpit ng gumamela para gawing soapy bubbles na hihipan mo sa binilog na tanggkay ng walis tingting?
Yup, but instead of walis tingting we used the stem of a papaya leaf.

3. pinipilit ka ba matulog ng nanay mo pag hapon at di ka papayagan maglaro pag di ka natulog?
Or else daw hindi ako tataba... and now look what happened.

4. marunong ka magpatintero, saksak puso, langit-lupa, teleber-teleber, luksong tinik?
I loved patintero (I was our team's "patotot" - the vertical line guy). we had different teams with different "home courts" where we had different rules. Saksak puso is extremely familiar but I can't remember anything about it. Teleb what? Luksong tinik and luksong baka tried but I wasn't good at it (I sucked at anything that involved jumping)

5. malupit ka pag meron kang atari, family computer or s-nes?
Yup! I graduated family computer and moved on to Sega, PS1, PS2. I'm enjoying PS2 so far.

6. alam mo ang silbi ng up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, a, b, a, b, start?
30 lives in Contra 1. (and if you held down left select and A ata it was the sound edit version). It also gave you freebies in Gradius.

7. may mga damit ka na U.S.E.D., Boy London , Cross Colors, Esprit, Blowing Bubbles at pag nakakakita ka ng Bench na damit eh naalala mo si Richard Gomez ?
I had Boy London shorts before. Bench was automatically linked to Richard Gomez - anything Bench and anything related to rowing.

8. addict ka sa rainbow brite, carebears, my little pony,thundercats, bioman, voltes v, mazinger z, daimos, he-man at marami pang cartoons na hindi pa translated sa tagalog?
Yup! Those were the afternoon cartoons after arriving from school and while eating Nissin's Ramen.

9. nanonood ka ng shaider kasi nabobosohan mo si annie at type na type mo ang puting panty nya?
Really? I didn't know that.

Huy, nung isang beses red yung suot nya...well, that was what I heard.

10. marunong ka mag wordstar at nakahawak ka na talaga ng 5.25 na floppy disk?
Wordstar, Wordperfect and dBase. I was using Turbo C when I was 13. :)

11. inaabangan mo lagi ang batibot at akala mo magkakatuluyan si kuya bodgie at ate sienna... nung high school ka inaabangan mo lagi beverly hills 90210?
Yup! Took me a while to realize 90210 was the zip code.

12. gumagamit ka ng AQUANET para pataasin ang bangs mo?
N/A. I was always bald when I was young. I had aquanet in my bike to ward off dogs in case I was chased.

13. meron kang blouse na may padding kung babae ka at meron kang sapatos na mighty kid kung lalake ka?
I had mighty kid shoes and I would cross the velcros so it would look cool. I also had a pair of Kaypee shoes.

14. nangongolekta ka ng paper stationaries at mahilig ka magpa pirma sa slumbook mo para lang malaman mo kung sino ang crush ng type mo?
Slumbooks I loved signing though I didn't really keep one for myself. I had a filo and a trapper keeper though.

15. kilala mo si manang bola at ang sitsiritsit girls? e si ning-ning at ging-ging?
Batibot!

16. alam mo ibig sabihin ng time space warp at di mo makakalimutan ang time space warp chant?
Of course! It's funny that Shaider episodes ALWAYS end the same. He beats them up, monster has "surprise" powers and now beats up Shaider, Annie mabobosohan, Shaider gets the upper hand, calls his spaceship/gun and blasts the monster.

17. idol mo si McGyver at nanonood kang perfect strangers?
McGyver not much but I was a huge fan of cousin Larry and cousin Balky. Back in grade school I did the "dance of joy" with my best friend everyday. But I still don't know where myphos is.

18. eto malupet... six digits lang ba ang phone number nyo dati?
n/a. We lived in the mountains and we didn't have a phone that time.

19. nakakatawag ka pa sa pay phone ng 3 bentesingko lang ang dala?
Yup! That big red pay phone as described in that song.

20. cute pa si aiza seguerra sa eat bulaga at alam mo ang song na "eh kasi bata"?
Yup, she was still a girl then.

21. inabutan mo ba na ang Magnolia Chocolait eh nasa glass bottle pa na ginagawang lalagyan ng tubig ng nanay mo sa ref?
Yup! I would be devastated when mom would buy Magnolia Milk instead of Chocolait.

22. meron kang pencil case na maraming compartments na pinagyayabang mo sa mga kaklase mo?
Yup! I had 1, 2 and 3 pencils. I also had that pen with multiple colors but it drove my teacher nuts reading my essay in 50 colors.

23. noon mo pa hinahanap kung saan ang Goya Fun Factory?
Yea...

24. alam mo lyrics ng "tinapang bangus" at "alagang-alaga namin si puti"?
Tinapang bangus? nah. Alagang-alaga namin si puti I know only the chorus.

25. alam mo ang kantang "gloria labandera".. lumusong sha sa tubig ang paa ay nabasa at ang "1, 2, 3, asawa ni marie"... hehehehehe?
Araw gabi... (I don't know the rest of the song...)

26. sosyal ka pag may play-doh ka at Lego... at nag-iipon ka ng G.I. Joe action figures at iba pa ang mukha ni barbie noon?
I had GI Joe's. My brother got the lego's. I also collected Micro Machines and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures.

27. inabutan mo pa yung singkong korteng bulaklak at yung diyes na square?
Don't forget the 1 cent coin and the HUGE 1 peso coin.

28. lumaki kang bobo dahil ang akala mo nangangagat talaga ang alimango sa kantang tong-tong-tong. .. diba naninipit yun?
Yup, but it doesn't rhyme with "dagat". It think it falls under poetic license.

29. alam mo yung kwento ng pari na binigyan ng pera yung batang umakyat ng puno para bumili ng panty... and shempre, alam mo rin ba kung ano binigay nya sa nanay nung umakyat ng puno?
This one honestly I have no idea. Does anyone know this?

30. meron kang kabisadong kanta ni andrew e na alam mo hanggang ngayon.. aminin?
Ok ok ok I was a HUGE Andrew E fan. I have all the cassettes but my lyrics were all wrong because I got them from Songhits. I also watched his movies (for shame...)

31. laging lampin ang sinasapin sa likod mo pag pinapawisan ka?
Nah.

32. bumibili ka ng tarzan, texas at bazooka bubble gum... tira-tira, at yung kending bilog na sinawsaw sa asukal?
I even know the Bazooka Bubble Gum jingle and collected the comic strips that came with it. :P

33. takot ka dumating ang year 1999 dahil sabi nla magugunaw daw ang mundo?
I was already in IT by then and I knew all the technical details so I wasn't scared. :)

Tech Questions

I remember last year, Vince, my buddy from Chicago asked me where do files really go when they get deleted. I gave out a geeky answer but I wasn't sure (the files will still be in memory but they lose the pointers to it, making them blanks and unretrievable).

Here's a second question: what makes a mouse pointer move? Jaye sent me the answer here.

Try moving the pointer fast, slow then try clicking it. :P

Of Certifications, Ads and Things You Hear If You Just Listen

MCP x2

I passed my second Microsoft Certified Professional exam! I didn't sleep for days reading the MOC and was literally a zombie when I took the exam. The last time I felt like that was during my thesis days back in college. It was worth it and I even got a surprisingly high score given that this wasn't my specialization. (The test was about database administration, I specialize in performance optimization). 2 Down, 2 to go.

Why I don't appreciate some local television ads

Piolo is shown driving a European sports car. Angel, who's wearing a sexy top waits for him from her home. Piolo arrives and takes off his shirt while walking towards her. They play rock music in the background. Then they drink coffee? The ad is about coffee?

I know the ad is about a "light" coffee and they show a guy "dreaming" that he looked the same way Piolo does... but I still don't get it.

One more thing, how come when Piolo is on TV they ALWAYS find a way in the script for him to take off his shirt. "Ako po'y maglalakad papuntang paaralan... NAKOW!... may dumaan na mamang may dalang spaghetti, nadapa at tumapon sa shirt ko."

Nothing wrong as long as it doesn't involve cowboy hats

I was walking past the security guard here when I overheard another guard over his radio ask him "Kamusta ka naman diyan?" in a uhh... concerned voice. "Ok lang ako dito. Ikaw?" then he saw me and turned the radio down. Though somewhat awkward, I think it's sweet to know that our security forces here are BFF.

If I heard "why can't I quit you?", that would merit a full blog entry from me.

Of Monthsaries, Bowling balls and Happy Thoughts

Overtime work + bowling + dinner

Project team building? Nah, It's actually our agenda to celebrate our MONTHSARY! :D It was't like this is what we had in mind for our ideal date but with our workload that time, we didn't have much choice. It was a busy week but we refused to reschedule and celebrate it another day. Besides, we've been aching to go bowling for a looooong time.

So it's Jaye vs Arn. Sweet little Jaye against Herculian man Arn who outweighs her by... much! This had "NO CONTEST" all over it and pretty sure it would be over fast. We picked the lane, put on our shoes and picked our bowling balls. I even taught Jaye had to pick out a ball. Honestly, I wanted to keep the score close so as to not embarrass my honey.

We rolled the first frame and immediately I know I've been had. I'm your typical office guy bowler - no professional form, capable of hitting pins, no spins, occassional strike. Our first game was like watching Sanjaya beating the crap out of Batista. I would roll the ball and hit the 2 left most pins. Jaye would get a strike. I get 2 more pins and Jaye would shoot a spare.

No fair.

I even tried to imitate the guy beside me (who had a funny release) to no avail (went straight to the gutter). I tried teasing her and even surprised her after she released the ball and STILL rolled out a strike.

She won the first frame by a few points... Ok, ok she won by a lot more than that... Ok ok ok fine, the score was so bad that if there was a referree, he would have stopped it by the 3rd round and award a TKO victory to Jaye. She won by 55.

The second game started with Jaye rolling a gutter ball and walks back smiling at me. Yea right. I have a change in my strategy too since I know Jaye's weakness - she laughs a lot. The next few frames were more about me dancing in the lane, doing a Johhny Bravo flex after releasing the ball, basically just make a fool out of myself. With Jaye laughing all night, it kept the score close enough for me to pull an upset win in the end.

We wanted to bowl a third game but decided to have dinner instead. What a great night! It felt so good not to think about work for a few hours and just enjoy life.

It was really nice of Jaye not to embarrass her honey.

Happy monthsary!

Pacman Rides Again

The boxing event was named "Blaze of Glory": Manny Pacquiao vs Jorge Solis of Mexico. There was also a fight between some dude and whatshisname but I really didn't care.

Manny Pacquiao comes in as the favorite having defeated other notable Mexican boxers including two wins over Erik "Wala kang katulad Manny" Morales (who appeared in a San Miguel Beer commercial with Manny). The promoters made sure that people won't treat Jorge Solis as a pushover by building up on his undefeated 32 wins - 0 losses - 2 draws on 23 knockouts standing, his height advantage and his aggressive. The fight was last Sunday and that morning I was really really really really wishing for a result some Filipinos wanted.

A Pacman loss.

To those who didn't see that fight, Manny won by knocking Solis out in the 8th round. Ok ok ok Manny fans I get it. Before you throw at me your Surf detergent boxes, Chicken McDos, Alaxan and Circulan capsules, Datu Puti, Thunder energy drink, SMB and GSM bottles, Magnolia ice creams, Smart sim cards (ouch), Magic sings, Nike shirts and Darlington socks (yup, those are all his endorsement deals) hear me out first.

I'm a sports lover and I know what a Pacquiao win means to the country and I would have wanted Manny to win this fight...

but he chose to run for congress.

Despite strong advice from influential people he still went ahead and will probably continue to file as a candidate. He's exploiting a hole in our democracy about the influence of celebrities in politics. Manny Pacquiao, the greatest Filipino boxer. He already has that title. In his next match, if Juan Manuel Marquez beats the crap out of him he still holds that title. Don't taint it by going into politics, well at least not now. Wait until you've accomplished everything first but it's not a good idea to mix in politics while you're in your prime. Wait until Mexico declares you public enemy number 1.

In this match, we saw a careless Pacquiao play around in the first few rounds. If you have the "hopes of the nation" on your shoulder, focus on the fight! Was he stalling? More rounds mean more ads? Making the fight close to make it more entertaining? Was he acting as if he was giving his best, then get beat just a little then make a dramatic finish? Nah, I've seen clips of his movie with Mikey Arroyo and Manny can't act wet in the rain.

True enough Manny fought like a congressman in the first 5 rounds not even showing shades of the vicious Pacman who floored Morales and would've beaten his entire corner if he wanted to. Manny was head butted opening a bloody cut on his left eye. From then on he turned it up a notch, going berserk and finally knocking Solis out. Manny wins. Solis humbled. Crowd cheers. Filipinos give the people's champion a pat on the back then immediately comment "What the heck was that?!?". Despite Manny winning the match, it was a big disappointment. They didn't like the way Manny handled this fight. It seems that not all Filipinos now are automatic Pacman fans. Remember during the Morales fight when people would chant "Mejico" then it would be drowned out by stronger chants of "MANNY! MANNY!"? This time there was something off as not all Filipinos are on his side. Did you see the battle of Cebu event last February? He was booed as if he was a Yankees fan at Fenway Park.

How about the prefight press conference of "Blaze of Glory"?

Fernando Beltran, Solis' promoter said "Solis is undefeated and he doesn't know how to lose. He is a two-time national champion in a great, great weight class. I really believe Solis will shock The Philippines and the world. Mexico will be very proud of its champion on Saturday night."

Jorge Solis said "When I heard that I was fighting Manny Pacquiao in the main event on pay-per-view I got so excited I started jumping up and down. I couldn't sleep - not scared - but because of the excitement of it all. I came to San Antonio to win. As the saying goes in my hometown, I am taking home all of the marbles. I hold the pride of Mexico in my two fists. Manny's winning streak over my countrymen will end Saturday night. Be ready Manny, no excuses!"

Both statements were cocky but these are what you expect from a pre fight interview. Both predict a Solis victory and they say Filipinos should be prepared for a shocker.

Justin Fortune, Manny's conditioning trainer said "We never underestimate an opponent. But a physically fit and strong Manny Pacquiao is impossible to beat, and Jorge Solis, you can call this fight Mission Impossible."

There you go! They say Mexico will win, tell them to dream on. Now what did Manny say?

Manny said "I know my opponent Jorge Solis has worked hard and is determined to win. This will be a great fight for both of us, both of our countries and all of our fans. But there can only be one winner and I have every intention of leaving the ring the way I came in -- as champion."

Ok... he says Jorge is good, everyone will have a good time but he intends on leaving as the winner.

Eh?

This is a pre fight interview! There's no need to use safe words! Tell him you'll punch his face so hard such that it will bend all around over to his ass where he'll drive a burrito and a San Miguel beer bottle all the way up!


Pacquiao vs Morales. Now THAT's an intimidating pose. Frown and flex!


Pacquiao vs Solis. Ugh. I could've sworn they were dating.

My point is it's obvious that Filipinos hate politicians A LOT. Manny turning congressman is a bad move as they hate Congressman Manny more than Boxing Hero Manny. Come on, we're not dumb. Are we telling the world that a boxer, who is known to be fond of parties, bars, billiard playing and women has enough political knowledge and experience to be congressman in the Philippines?

I wished Manny would have a controversial loss - illegal gloves, Solis is really Evander Holyfield and the judges are really Barrera, Marquez and Morales in costume (ala Scooby doo) or probably something like WWE where Pacquiao is already winning but Stone cold comes in and gives him a Stone Cold Stunner.

I was rooting a Pacman loss hoping that this will finally put an end on his current congressional plans. A Manny win will somewhat seal his victory in the upcoming elections. Manny's corner predicted a Pacman victory. Solis' corder predicted disappointment for Filipinos.

Both sides were right.

From New York to Paris

How do you get from New York, NY to Paris, France? I found an interesting answer in Google:

1. Go to http://maps.google.com
2. Enter "new york, ny to paris, france" to get driving directions.
3. Scroll down to step number 23. ayos no? :P

Best Wishes to Ai and Ferdie!

Wishing you both a lifetime of everlasting love and happiness! Congratulations!

Taal Adventure

Mom and dad were bored one morning and asked me to take them somewhere they have never been to and do something they have never done before. I wanted to bring them to Circles (a posh restaurant in Makati) for dinner but I don’t think they would find that funny (‘cause we’ll be eating instant noodles for the next few weeks after we pay the bill).

Actually my mom hinted days ago that the Taal crater was interesting (which translated to “Take us there or I’ll cook nothing but vegetables for the next 8 weeks). That morning, mom packed some food and dad donned his “go everywhere” look while I prepped my cameras and my iPod. Hey, I was pretty bored myself.

We loaded up the family car and headed out. A few blocks away from our house, mom and dad asked where I will be taking them. I told them “Taal Crater”. Mom had that “You better” look while dad had “oh crap” written all over his face.

Travel time from the house to the Taal volcano usually takes 3 hours by car. Given the speedster that I am, I was able to shave off one whole hour, reaching the Talisay, Batangas in only 2 hours. I don’t drive crazy. I drive fast but never crazy.

Upon reaching Talisay, we were hounded by these annoying people trying to lure us into their resort. I was driving around the shoreline with 2 guys following me around on a scooter. Grrr… I wanted to run them over. From Talisay we took a boat to Taal volcano and immediately our guide informed us that the real taal volcano is not what is always shown in postcards. The real volcano is the one with the lake inside it and not the mountain which is the most visible thing from Tagaytay.

I enjoyed the dinky boat ride. I had salt water in my hair changing my hairdo from the lego-man hairdo to a full afro. I should’ve brought my cap *groan*. From the Taal shore, we “had” to ride a horse all the way up to the crater.

I’ve never ridden a horse before. Back when I was a kid, horses freaked the hell out of me. I refused to ride horses when we would go to Baguio. I didn’t even ride carousels until high school but I didn’t travel all the way to a volcano just to let a four legged beast scare the crap out of me again.

I ended up with a brown horsie who was ticked off when he saw that he ended up taking a fatso all the way up the hill. I know squat about riding horses and I had to learn everything on how to control it in a span of 15 minutes while we were still on level ground because after that, it’s all uphill for me (or him). It was an exciting moment for me when I found out that the horse goes to the direction where you pull the reins and runs when you kick them gently with your heels. It was a terrifying moment when I found out that he sprints full speed when hit their behinds with a stick. Good thing I was able to find the steering wheel, gas pedal and nitrous oxide... where's the seatbelt? Going uphill felt terrible as “Cast Iron Sports Cup” was automatically added to my To Buy list. (ouch)

The crater was beautiful as I brought out my camera. Funny how I was geared up like Rambo. I have my primary camera (my DSLR) around my neck. I have my secondary camera (my Canon Ixus) as my sidearm in a pouch attached to my belt and I have my tertiary camera (my phone) with a grand total of 5 spare batteries.

Taal Volcano Island. The big thing on the right is what we always see from Tagaytay but that's NOT the volcano crater itself. The crater's on the left.

My smartass horse... and he's eating ants?

A tree in the crater.

The crater. Dad tried to explain to me the chemical components of the water in the lake and I fell asleep instantly.

The lake in the volcano.

The boat we rode to and from Taal Volcano

Going down with Mr. Horsie was worse. I didn’t know if he would slip or fall because we were going down the hill on a 45 degree angle. I was shouting “Ingat! May bato! May bato sa kaliwa!” hoping the beast knows Tagalog. There was a scary moment when he stopped by a cliff and looked down. I started shouting “Huwag!!! Huwag!!! Doon tayo dumaan! Wag diyan!” and I didn’t know that there was a small group of people behind me who started laughing and taking my picture. I also notice that the island had so many Korean visitors which divided up the tour guides into two groups: the happy ones were the ones who ended up touring the young pretty Korean women while the grouchy ones were the ones who ended up touring their parents and their brothers / boyfriends.

At the bottom of the hill, I was glad to be off the horse. We took the same boat going home, ate and went home. I was sore all over. Was it worth it? While we were on our way home mom and dad were happily smiling knowing that they had a great time and it wasn’t a boring day where they would watch American Idol reruns all day. Yea, I think it was worth it. =)

It’s still a funny thought that mom and dad got bored and their son brought them to a volcano crater.

March was for the Penguins

Not the best month so far.

- March has been the most expensive month for me so far even eclipsing my expenses last December.

- March had my single most expensive transaction for the year.

- March was my busiest month in terms of workload as I am the newly appointed lead for both the online (web) and backend (sql) team. I tried reading some stuff to upgrade my VB 6 skills to .Net and I blew my brains out. (Koya Kiko!!! help!!!)

- I had no vacations for March. There was a day when I missed work but ended up working in the afternoon at home.

- The most days in the month where I was injured and couldn't play basketball. I had an assortment of small injuries ranging from plantar fasciitis, knee pain, calf pain etc...

Good thing it's already April! Go Bosawx! :D

Random Thoughts 2

Hey Mickey you're so fine, you're so... hey, you're not Mickey

Did you see the music video for Avril's new single "Girlfriend"? What happened?!? A few years ago, Britney was the dancing and "singing" (It was either Brit singing or someone starting her car) teen icon and Avril was the Anti-britney rocker girl. Now Avril is the new Britney? and Britney looks like Mrs. Potato Head?

Probably a last minute substitute

I watched the Gerry Penalosa fight a few weeks ago and I must say the fight commentator was terrible. I'm not saying it was like that because she was a woman but because I believe commentators should know how the sport is played and the common terms used.

"At itong si Gerry ay natatamaan ng mga suntok at ayun! ayun! nakasuntok siya! Ay! Ay! Natatamaan naman siya ngayon! Ay! Ayun! Sapul! Nakabawi siya!"... and it went on for an hour like this.

Too many Booboys

One morning, I was listening to Chico and Delamar's Morning Rush when I heard an top ten entry sent by Booboy The Clown.

Booboy the clown? I only know Booboy the clown.

When I arrived at the office, I confirmed that it was indeed Allan who was laughing that I was able to make the quick connection (He sang and danced "Send in the Clowns" during the CIO Idol back in Chicago)

The Countdown to August

It will probably be the best month of the year (second only to May). =)

Not Listening to Sexy Rexy?

Someone sent an email asking what I meant by "EOP" in my other post. It stands for English Only Pilipinos. Yea, you know what I'm talking about dude!

Jinxing Rob and Amber

Last time, I mentioned that my team for the Amazing Race: All Stars is Rob and Amber and after I posted it, they were eliminated because of a freak mistake. Funny that Mirna called Amber a b*tch. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

My prediction on who will be out next: Joe and Bill.

3 out of 4

I picked out the Final Four for this year to be: Florida, UCLA, North Carolina and Ohio State. I missed only by one (North Carolina lost to Georgetown in the Elite Eight). Dang, I should've made a bet with somebody.

The Holy Cows

My precious basketball team which is on a tear right now after winning 18 straight games in the regular season! I have a non-bearing game right now as I'm alone in first place with a 19-2 record. That's for the myScheduling league though. For the CIO league, I lost the top spot and is struggling just to hold on to #2. Get well Dwyane! Don't worry, I don't blame you (too much).

I also have another team called "Scrambled Eggs" which is a low seed in the playoffs. I think i got eliminated this morning. :-/

300

I heard from my friends it's really good. I read Gwenny's and Enzo's reviews (hey they won't blog about it if it ain't any good right?). Last week, I dragged Jaye to watch it. She asked if it was a violent and bloody movie and I think I said, "just a little". Yup, like I'm a "little" chubby. :P Sorry honey, next time we'll watch something less bloody. :P

You probably read so many reviews and comments about it already so I'll say that it's really good and stop right there. Don't wanna bore you all :P

That night, I reached under the boxes in my room to get my weights (I want an 8 pack too!) but found nothing but dust bunnies (eeewww). Where'd go? My bro who watched the movie earlier took it. grrrrr...

Fight or Flight

The fight-or-flight response, also called the acute stress response, was first described by Walter Cannon in 1927. His theory states that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting or fleeing.

We all have our own fears, problems and concerns probably related to work, family, money, love, friends or all of the above. It can be trivial or crucial, simple or complicated, generic or specific. I believe everyone runs away from something. We may not admit it but we do. Running away from an overwhelmingly difficult challenge, from tremendous pressure or from the inevitable.

I have been running away for a long time now, strong enough just to keep my head above water. One day, I stopped and felt how tiring it was to live like this. I grew. I changed. I overhauled my life and decided no more running. I started to fight back.

No more running.

I realized that it's a new era in my life since a few months ago. I've already turned my life around half way for the better and I've never been this strong and happy. Time to take it all the way.

All the way around.

Thanks Jaye. :)

Thanks Jaye for the love you're sharing with me, for your patience and understanding and for letting Arnold be Arnold.

Mass Transit Day 3

One thing I know about myself - I adapt fast.

On the third day I was already able to develop a routine as I was at the LRT station early and for the second straight day I was able to avoid the MRT rush by arriving just in time for the empty train which I just found out arrives at 7:00am. I was at the office in record time and I didn't look harrassed despite being crunched by the MRT doors. (ouch!)

My trip home was more interesting. After work, I rushed out of the office and into the MRT station where people were boxing out the yellow markers where the train doors would align. Let's see, on day 1, I was able to board on the 3rd train while on day 2 I was able to board the 8th train. On this day, I was able to board the first train that arrived despite all the people blocking off the train entrance. The doors opened and a guy was getting off. While he was pushing people out of the way while in the train, he blocked off the people who were getting in with me alone on the other side. Once he stepped off, this thin man pushed me off so he can get into the train.

Simple physics. A thin man pushing off a fat man. What will happen?

The guy pushed off me, was knocked back and hit the crowd behind him blocking them all off. I was still standing still. I boarded the train and didn't have to push anyone. From the MRT I ran to the LRT station while talking to Jaye (who told me NOT to use my phone in Cubao) and quickly boarded the next available train. At my stop, I positioned myself right in front of the door so that I can get a headstart and avoid the rush by doing a jackrabbit sprint. I was out and greeted by a huge crowd that took 3 of the 4 highway lanes. What was this, another rally? There were no waiting jeeps or any other public utility vehicle. A jeep would come by, drop off a passenger and people would do "sabit" (hanging from the jeepney's entrance which is now prohibited by law).

Here's another interesting thing last night. People were constantly fanning and moving like one of those party shows on MTV. Suddenly, something hit my eye and it itched terribly. What was going on?!? A 10 wheeler truck with huge headlights passed and lit the entire area and I saw lots (and I do mean LOTS) of fluttering things in the air. Argh! Insects! Not sure what they were (I'm no Gil Grissom) but they were huge and they were EVERYWHERE. I now remembered that there was a creek just beside the highway and it was probably hatching season or something. Now comes the funny part, jeepneys would constantly stop at this one area where incidentally there was a high concentration of those flying things. I found out about this when an empty jeep parked there, I ran to it and was swarmed by these insects making me run back. Another empty jeep passed by but I couldn't board it because I was laughing at this sequence.

Around 20 people would be standing in the lightly insect infested area. A jeep would stop at the highly infested area dropping off one or two passengers. Twenty people would run to the jeep while waving their arms wildly. One would be able to board while 19 would run back to the lightly infested area still flinging their arms around while shouting and shrieking (and coughing).

That was F-U-N-N-Y!

After a few more minutes a jeep stopped and dropped off a passenger in front of me. I grabbed the side bars and did my spiderman swing (like the one I did yesterday) only this time, someone was also boarding the same jeepney. I (inadvertently) gave him a flying kick sending him down to the asphalt before landing on the jeep's entrance. The jeep sped off before he could even say anything.

The song playing from the jeepney's sound system? The theme from Mission Impossible "Take a Look Around" by Limp Bizkit.

Mass Transit Day 2

One day older, one day smarter.

I woke up doing the same routine and left the house 10 minutes earlier (as if that will make a difference). I was walking to the main road near our house to wait for a trike and passed by my friend Bing's house who was prepping her car on her way to work. A quick "Hi-Hello-Musta-Ok lang kaw?- ok lang din" conversation and off I went. Five minutes later at the main road Bing drove by, pulled over and offered to drive me to the LRT station. Cool! Another friend who I haven't talked to for a long time.

The LRT was kinda packed which was unusual at this time. When the train stopped at one of the station, this lady came in and just crowded me. Hey, fair game right? When the train arrived at my stop, the doors opened and she was blocking my way. I said "excuse", she just looked and didn't move. I said please move or I might hurt you if I bump you. All I got was a stare. Ten seconds later, no more mr. nice guy, I bulldozed my way to the door ramming the lady into a pole just in time before the door closed. She was saying something and I only had that "told ya so" look. I didn't mean to be rude and I know being rude to a person who was being rude in the first place isn't right but hey, I warned her.

One of the things I learned yesterday, pushing and shoving are just plain rude but in this place, no blood no foul. Everyone's aggressive and you will push and be pushed no matter who you are.

On to the MRT station and it was still hell but this time, I would be the devil.

A ultra jampacked train came and people still tried to enter. People from behind were pushing. I was pushing everyone in front of me. Hey the guy behind me was pushing me too! No one got on until probably the 4th train which was freakishly empty. It's an empty car! The gloves came off and I saw people pushing and elbow their way in. Pure madness. When the train arrived at my stop (I know now where the doors would open), I stepped out and I looked harrassed.

The session was boring and I heard my 234th computer joke of the week. Ugh.

After 9 agonizing hours, Gezelle was still teaching and Carla was still checked her mail so it was off to station with Alex, Jaye's project mate. My card was rejected upon entry (maybe because I inserted it too early?) and had to take it to the admin office. I told Alex to go on without me. Down at the platform, it was a lot more crowded than yesterday. =S I saw Carla and Cesar (a new friend from People Support) waiting. People were clearly frustrated because the trains would always arrive full with only 1 or 2 passengers able to enter. The old man beside me was furious. The guys behind me would just laughed it off. A train would stop, we would push everyone inside the train then step back and start laughing. Hahahaha bunch of jerks! Finally a train stopped with 10 people dropping off and all of us practically stormed inside. They pushed everyone out of the way forcing them further into the car while laughing.

I arrived at my MRT station and walked to the LRT station while texting Jaye telling her that I was still in one piece. I ran towards the stairs just in time before the train left. In the LRT station, instead of taking one of those jeeps waiting in a corner for passengers, I took the risk and went on to the main road and looked for a jeep was already on its way to my place. A jeep slowed down just a bit and while it was still moving, I ran to the back, grabbed the handle bars which swung me across the right brakelight and landed perfectly on the entrance with 8 bucks on hand and instanteneously said "bayad o". The guy inside said "galing nun a, parang spiderman." with a smile.

Mass Transit Day 1

I woke up today at 5am. Usually I would wake up at 6am but this week was different. I washed and dressed up (for today I picked a polo from my "non-japorms" set), I brought a different bag, a different wallet and a handful of coins.

What's so different about today? For starters, I will be reporting at Cybergate over at Pioneer. I've been there only once last year so the place is still somewhat new to me. Next, my car is out for repairs and maintenance and lastly, I didn't want mom to drive me all the way which means I'll have to do something that I haven't done, since my high school days - take mass transit.

Instead of the mail bag I always bring, I have a small bag with my "bare necessities" - a pen, a comb and coins. I emptied out my wallet to just contain a few bills and an ID. No credit cards, no Palmtops, no iPods, no extra items. Other than my phone, the most expensive thing on my bag would be...well, my bag which cost 10 bucks over at Aurora (Illinois).

I took the trike going out of our place. I remembered taking these trikes over to the basketball court so I can get my butt kicked by the senior players. Also taking the same trike was one of my oldest (as in earliest) closest friends from way back in the 80's when we would go biking, play in construction lots, play all-day with my family computer (up up down down left right left right B A B A... If you know that you're an 80's kid). First time we've seen each other since high school. From the main road I took an jeep then a van to the LRT (Light Rail Transit) station where I looked lost trying to insert my card. The train went through a tunnel and immediately it reminded me of Chicago - the noisy L Train with the grinding metal sounds. After a few stops, I had to switch over to another line - the MRT and like what I did over at the LRT station, I just followed people around and lined up where they lined up. The LRT ride was a pleasant one. No crowds, no problems.

Boarding the MRT was hell.

I was waiting behind the yellow line, there were around 8 people behind me, the train comes, the door opens and people were there packed like sardines. People from behind just start pushing, nothing happened and no one was able to board. 3 trains later, the people behind are starting to get irritated because they have been waiting for 20 minutes and are still unable to board. The next train comes and when everyone saw that it was not that full, I turned around and faced all of them. I learned this while boarding the red line after a Bears game at Grant Park. The doors opened and they pushed me into the train. I got on! They didn't. Doors closed and I had my "nye nye nye-nye-nye" face. Amazing that this was one place where people could push and push without complaining. It was like a cross check at a hockey game. As long as you push with your body, it was all fair. Finally the jampacked train stopped at my station and I positioned myself at the door. I peeked outside and saw no platform. What the ?!? The door opened on the other side, I pushed everyone across the car just in time before the doors closed and again, no one complained.

Finally I arrived at my destination. Nothing really interesting here other than the instructor looking like Joel Godard from Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Oh, I met again my long lost college friend Carla who was in the same class I was and my not so lost Chicago friend Gezelle who was teaching in the other room. (She did look like she lost a LOT of weight... kain kasi ng kain sa Chicago :P)

Going home was just tough along the MRT. From Cubao, Carla showed me the way through the mall to the connecting LRT which I found in no time. From the station, it was two more jeepneys and all that's left now is the trike to my house.

Now comes the weird part. I approached the station and only one tricycle was there with the driver standing beside it, staring at me. It was like he was waiting for me. As I approached and was about to ask if he was driving today but before I could say anything he said (with a friendly voice) he knows who I am and where I live. The last time I took these trikes was 9 years ago so I think it's impossible he remembered me. It was very weird. What next?

Follow the white rabbit?

Overall it was a pretty interesting day though I missed Jaye so so much =(

Carmona's Exit

Che Che's farewell video (miss you na...). I had to split it to three since this is a 30 minute video and multiply can only accomodate 10minute clips.